The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee comes to UH Hilo

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Performing Arts Center, in cooperation with the UH Hilo Performing Arts Department, presents The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Friday and Saturday, April 8, 9, 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April, 10 and 17 at 2 p.m.

The musical comedy is directed by UH Hilo’s Jackie Pualani Johnson and “features six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, and learn that winning isn’t everything and that losing doesn’t necessarily make one a loser,” said PAC Manager Lee Dombroski.

“This hilarious tale of overachievers’ angst chronicles the experiences of these adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championships of a lifetime. The show’s Tony Award-winning creative team has crafted the unlikeliest of hit musicals about the unlikeliest of heroes—a quirky, yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time,” she added.

The ensemble of actors include performing arts majors and UH Hilo students Kimo Apaka, Chloe Cornelius, Robbie Craddock, Kenny Davis, Cristina Hussey, BriAnna Johnson, Dailee Morrone, Baba Tavares and Scott Wuscher. Music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman and music direction by Pedro Kaʻawaloa.

“This fantastic production also includes audience participation where four audience volunteers will be recruited before every performance to participate on-stage as guest spellers,” Dombroski said. “Each new foursome will guarantee a new set of hilarious and unexpected experiences.”